Small tea growers seek Nadda’s intervention for MRL notification of two pesticides

KOLKATA: (Jul 2) An association of small tea growers on Thursday wrote to Union Health Minister JP Nadda, seeking his intervention for early notification of maximum residue limits of two pesticides, and claimed that the absence of such a regulatory measure was exposing producers to crop losses.

Two approved pesticides – acetamiprid and imidacloprid – are among the most effective molecules for controlling major tea pests, but the “absence of notified MRLs has created uncertainty in their use, exposing growers to the risk of crop losses and reduced productivity”, Confederation of Indian Small Tea Growers Associations (CISTA) said in the letter.

MRL represents the maximum legally permitted concentration of a pesticide residue in an agricultural product. In tea production, an MRL is a trading standard governed by good agricultural practices to ensure consumer safety.